Experience of Physiotherapists of Teamwork Results: Teamwork of Team Work Results: A Qualitative Study

Purpose: In modern societies, in order to save medical costs and provide improved and comprehensive healthcare services, cooperation of various specialties in the form of teamwork has gained significant popularity. Physiotherapists, as members of the treatment team, try to improve the health of their fellow human beings. This study aimed to describe physiotherapists’ experience and perception of teamwork in hospital environment. Methods: This study was conducted using the conventional qualitative method of content analysis. Participants were 11 physiotherapists with 7-25 years of work experience, who were purposefully selected from 6 hospitals in Tehran. For data collection, in-depth semi-structured interviews over one year (2012-2013) were conducted and the obtained data were analyzed using content analysis method. Results: The findings obtained from the interviews were categorized into two main areas : 1) changes in the beliefs and feelings of the physiotherapists, including increased satisfaction, motivation, increased relaxation, decreased stress and work pressure, accepting criticism, increased trust in and respect for physiotherapy services, giving specialists a holistic view, and 2) increased job productivity, higher quality of services, more references avoiding parallel procedures reduction of secondary complications of diseases, increased awareness and knowledge. Conclusion: Teamwork has positive effects on the beliefs, feelings, and job productivity of the physiotherapists working in Tehran hospitals. Because of the growing trend of chronic diseases and increasing elderly population in Iran, provision of comprehensive and holistic healthcare services seems to be necessary in Iran and the need for further research on teamwork is pressing.